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Rising high school seniors and incoming first-year students were introduced to life at Leeds through the annual KeyBank Business Leadership Program (BLP). Hosted June 19-25 by the Office of Diversity Affairs, BLP brought students to the CU Boulder campus, where they learned more about business topics and worked to solve real-world problems.

After breaking into teams, participants collaborated to create and implement a marketing campaign for corporate partners including KeyBank, Key Equipment Finance, Arrow Electronics, Enterprise, Gogo Business Aviation and TD SYNNEX. Throughout the week, partners gave ongoing support to their teams and answered questions related to their case challenges. Current Leeds students served as team counselors, providing feedback and helping develop innovative solutions, and participants attended lectures led by Leeds faculty to help them tackle the cases.

The program culminated with students presenting their campaigns to judges and peers. Key Equipment Finance was selected as the winning team, and each team member received a $2,000 scholarship to attend Leeds upon acceptance.

In addition to strengthening participants’ business and leadership skills, the program allowed students to build community with other Future Buffs from around the state. They also participated in professional and academic development sessions with school staff covering topics including diversity, inclusion and social identities; networking; social media and LinkedIn; and building a business. Other sessions were designed to prepare students for applying to and starting their Leeds journey.

“While participants had a busy week, the success of KeyBank Business Leadership Program is seen in the growth of participants and the innovative solutions each team proposed for their case challenges,” said Gerardo Ceballos, program manager for Leeds’ Office of Diversity Affairs. “Through BLP’s experiential learning, our participants gained a newfound confidence in their business skills, professional connections, and business knowledge.

“Most importantly, participants experienced the welcoming community Leeds creates for business students through the Office of Diversity Affairs and Diverse Scholars Program. I look forward to seeing BLP rising seniors and incoming first-year students continued success in the upcoming academic year.”

BLP is offered annually at no cost to participants. The program is open to Colorado students who identify as underrepresented, diverse, students of color, or first-generation; or students who have an interest in gaining a diverse business experience. Applications for next summer’s program, scheduled for June 25-July 1, 2023, open Dec. 1.